Last Friday of '13! Where did the time go?

As I am sitting here enjoying my Pumpkin Spice coffee, watching the early morning news, I realized that today is the LAST Friday of 2013. This year flew by in the blink of an eye, and I cannot believe that in another week, a new year will be upon us. Just a minute ago, all of us neighbors were sitting out in my back yard in shorts, bare-footed, while the kids ran around playing. Now it's 25 degrees, and sadly, we are all in our houses, hibernating like bears.

It seems the older I get, the shorter time goes by. Summer seemed to last forever, Christmas break was a whole TWO weeks of fun and play. Now every time I turn around, another week, month, year goes by leaving me scratching my head at the speed of which they fly by.

We got a "new" addition to our family this summer. My husband's 16 year old son decided he wanted to live with us, and within a weekend he went from being a New Yorker to a Marylander, and we were running around getting him enrolled here at CMW for his junior year, so instead of me raising one step-son, I now am raising two. My son finished his high school years, my other step-son started middle school and my daughter has 1 year till she will be a quarter of a century old. Time, it seems, is slipping through my fingers. 

We spent the summer exploring Harford County, the sights, the back roads, the old houses, the new houses, an every other kind in between. I started helping a friend work on the farm where she keeps her horse, and conquered my fear of the big, beautiful creatures, falling in love with them and all their different personalities, quirks, likes, and dislikes. It has become a new joy in my life, one I find very rewarding and very therapeutic. 


I found myself attending more funerals than weddings, although the one wedding I attended was a HUGE step for Maryland, as 2 of my dearest friends were finally able to legally wed. It was a beautiful ceremony, and I am very fortunate to have been able to witness their love and commitment legally!! What a joy!! Way to go to the 2 Mrs. S's. I deeply thank you for allowing me to share in your day. For the funerals I attended, my love and prayers to several different friends who lost their loved ones. They are with God now, and though we miss the departed, it's nice to know that we have angels walking among us. 

On a different note, my Crohn's has progressively gotten worse, and I will be going in next week for major abdominal surgery. I pray that the surgeon can remove what is bad, and help me get better. Please be kind to your friends who have "invisible" illnesses. I find it very rude when people say to me, "You don't LOOK sick." Well, I assure you, if you had to live my life, including the always present pain, you would know just how sick I really am. 

All that said, I wish each and everyone of you a very happy, healthy, and prosperous New year. I encourage you to savor every moment, good or bad, as time isn't guaranteed, and it slips through your fingers like snow, melting into water.

One last thing, please remember to thank our military for all they do for us. and try to thank a First Responder every chance you get. They put their lives on the line every day for us, and are very often forgotten after our emergencies. So if you see a military member, a fire fighter, a police officer, just a simple "Thank you for all you do" goes a long way.